Barcelona have signed the highly-rated teenager Alen Halilovic from Dinamo Zagreb on a five-year contract. The diminutive midfielder, who turns 18 in June, has moved for a fee thought to be around £1.8m.

Halilovic will initially join the Barcelona’s B team but is not expected to have to wait long for first team opportunities under the new manager, Luis Enrique. He has been compared to Lionel Messi and his countryman Luka Modric since making his Dinamo debut at 16 years and 101 days old, which made him the club’s youngest ever player. He scored seven goals in 44 appearances for the club.